Falling from the sky
by desiking75
Summary: Echizen has finally reached his third year at Seigaku and is finally Buchou. Seems perfect right? WRONG! Find out what obstacles the prince faces from injuries to insults during his reign as Buchou! From Injuries to insults! No slash Echizen?.
1. Call of the Buchou

Chapter 1: The call of the Buchou

Chapter 1: The call of the Buchou

Echizen Ryoma woke up in his bed to begin his first day of practice as the buchou of the Seigaku tennis Club. He was the only remaining member from the original team he had started off in two years ago. He got ready and decided to skip breakfast; it wouldn't look too good if the captain was late.

"Hey kid, what's the rush?" Ryoma's father, Nanjiroh asked as he sped down the stairs.

"Move Oyaji, I'm gunna be late for Tennis practice." Ryoma grumbled.

"Oh, that's right; my little boy is starting his first practice as captain. The girls will be all over you." He said ruffling Ryoma's hair.

"Outta the way _dad_." Ryoma grumbled.

"Now, now, testy buchou, at least let me wish you luck." He offered, but remained unmoving. Out of the corner of his eye, Ryoma saw Karpin slowly creep up under his father's legs and bit him in a place where it would hurt for weeks. "OW! Stupid Cat!" Nanjiroh screamed and jumped around in pain. In the seven seconds of distraction, Echizen made his escape.

It was a long walk up to Seigaku and Ryoma remembered how for the last two years, Momoshiro would pick him up on his bike. 'I need a bike' Ryoma thought as he trekked to the school on foot. It would have been much easier, but it was early and he still had 20 kg power ankles on as well as a bag for school. After he finally arrived, he met Ryuzaki sensei at the tennis courts.

"Welcome Ryoma, just on time. First off all, you made captain, this is hard work. Arrange for the applications for the Tennis club to be available for freshmen. Secondly, in two weeks we are to have a ranking tournament in which you will have to set up blocks. Since most of the regulars are gone, put one regular to every block." She lectured to Ryoma who was trying not to fall asleep.

"Hai Sensei" he replied bowing. She showed him his office, which was quite small, but workable. "What remains of the club is set to arrive in twenty minutes right?"

"Right, so you should put the balls out on the courts and change into your jersey." She said before entering her own office. Ryoma printed out the forms and placed them on a table near the courts.

"Hey Echizen!" Called a third year regular, Soto Akio, one of the three remaining regulars on the team. "First day as Captain, how do you feel?" While Akio had made friends with Ryoma last year, Ryoma had still remained closed off to others. Akio had short black hair that was always neat, and was almost as tall as Inui. He was strong, but much weaker than Taka-san.

"How should I feel?" Ryoma mumbled halfheartedly.

"Well, you should feel great because this is finally our last year of school. We can finally get out of this hellhole!" Akio said gleefully.

"You do know that after middle school comes high school? And that high school has double the work?" Ryoma asked amused.

"Oh, I forgot! Damn, you think if I fail, they'll let me stay and be captain next year? That way if I don't graduate from here, then I'll never go to high school!" Akio was a smart kid, but lazy in every respect. "But then again, high school will have cuter girls. So many factors…"

"Forget it; hey you want to have a rally?" Ryoma asked bored of his friend's musings.

"Sure why not, I'm going to destroy you this year anyway. That Pinnacle of perfection you pulled off at last year's Kantou Tournament was amazing. You totally destroyed that demon Kirihara!" It was true, in singles 2 last year Echizen had finished off Rikkaidai's deadly demon Akaya by mastering the Pinnacle of Perfection. He had won despite a broken arm and knee (both given to him by Akaya).

Both of them took their positions on the court. Echizen drew back and hit the neo-twist serve with all his might. The neo twist could be hit with his left hand and curve either left or right after bouncing. It was derived from the knuckle serve, but without the violence intended. "Too slow." Akio said and returned it with a swift backhand.

Echizen began to switch to rally mode and check out how much Akio had improved. It was a fair bit of improvement. Akio had tried to improve a lot in the summer because of the nationals. He had played the first and second round in singles three, only to lose the first one and sustain heavy injury in the second. While seeing the matches, he realized he was not at a national level yet.

Akio was an Inui brand player. He analyzed his opponent (without a book) and began to mentally predict his next move. It was done subconsciously, but was without a doubt very Inui-like. Ryoma snapped out of his thoughts in time to break the rally with a drive B. The drive B had evolved as well and was much faster and bounced much higher.

Ten minutes later, Echizen declared the match over at 4 games to 2 (in favor of Echizen of course) in order to welcome the returning members. "Ryoma-kun! We heard you were captain, congratulations!" Kachiro and Katsuo said as they ran up to their captain. So, who's fuku-buckou?" They asked.

"Well it's not totally decided yet, but I think that Akio might get it. He deserves it after his improving over the summer, although Kenji is a ready candidate for that as well." Ryoma said. Ono Kenji was the other remaining regular. He was known as the genius of Seigaku, much like Fuji (although not at that level). His nickname was The Fifth ace, because he played very deceptively, tricking the opponent and playing very effective mind games to make his win faster. Nothing he did was straightforward.

"Alright team, gather around. I have some announcements to make regarding our schedule this year…" Ryoma began.


	2. The Ranking Tournament

Chapter 2: The Ranking Tournament

Chapter 2: The Ranking Tournament

After Ryoma was done explaining the schedule, he finished all his other duties as captain and went home after school alone, for the first time. Usually he walked home with at least one Senpai (usually Kikamaru or Momo). He slipped inside his house and finished his homework in peace. It was a time for new beginnings, but when the new came in, the old left.

Two weeks from the start of the term found Ryoma sleeping through English class. Karpin had kept him up half the night by climbing in his bed willing him to play. It was all because Nanjiroh had given the cat coffee instead of milk to get back at Ryoma.

"Echizen! Perhaps you can begin reading the passage we were up to?" The instructor said. 

"Hai Sensei!" Echizen said as he began reading the paragraph will profound ease. Echizen smirked inwardly. He had done harder work in fifth grade in America for English.

"Thank you Echizen, please take a seat and try to stay awake this time please?"

"I'll try sir, but I make no promises." He said before laying his head down much to the entire class' amusement and his sensei's anger.

After school he began to line up the orders, he had planned to quickly win his matches to get a good view of prospective players. He also wanted to observe Kenji, the current Genius of Seigaku.

"Hey Echizen, which block did you put me in?" Horio asked sure that Echizen had put him in a block full of new players.

"Oh, Horio, I thought with your four years of tennis experience that you should be in A-block with me." Horio paled visibly and Ryoma inwardly smirked. "Anyway, I believe I have a match now… with you no less Horio." He said and Horio groaned. Ryoma led Horio to the court and defeated him in less than six minutes.

"Wow, the captain won six games in six minutes, that's amazing!" Some freshman said. "His jacket never left his shoulders." Ryoma smirked inwardly again; the jacket thing was a trick he had spent some time trying to get. It was the same think Yukimura did when facing a weak opponent or one he could take on with ease.

Ryoma went on to finish his next three matches in less than seven minutes each and was rewarded with cries of "wow he barely enters the court before he leaves it!" or "Incredible and some say that the captain can go beyond even this!" but alas he was also rewarded with Tomoka's screams of "WE LOVE YOU RYOMA-SAMA!" He groaned inwardly. No matter how long it had been, that girl would always be an annoying fan-girl.

He waved a greeting to Sakuno (who had long since blushed at Ryoma's gestures) and slipped off to C-Block. Finally, after one hour, the regulars were officially selected. I'll list them here by name and appearance)

1. Echizen Ryoma **We all know how he looks…(now as tall as Sanada)** _Third Year_

2. Soto Akio **Short Black hair, around Inui's height lean and slightly muscled **_Third year_

3. Ono Kenji **Dark blue hair, sticks out at odd angles. Same height as Tezuka. **_Third Year_

4. Yoshida Jun **Small build (like Momo) gray hair (Much like Ootori's) **_Second Year_

5. Kouhei Botan **Medium build black long hair **

6. Ito Isao **Strong build broad shouldered brown haired (dark)**

7. Kondo Kazuo **Flexible, very skinny, Ryoma's current height. Brown hair (light)** 8. Hara Masaki **Blond hair. Small build, but broad shouldered and strong**

The regulars were given slips to pick up their personalized jerseys the next day and practice began. After everyone had a good rally, Ryoma called the regulars aside.

"Ok everyone, we have been working quite hard so far, but the district tournament (I will refer to this as the DT) will be held in two weeks. Until that time we will work hard and proceed without hesitation! Dismissed!"

The new regulars scattered, only two groaning because of what the words Ryoma just said truly meant.

"Hey Echizen, Kenji, you guys wanna go to the high school and check out how the Senpai-tachi is doing?" Akio asked looking at the two of them longingly.

"Fine, let's go. Echizen coming?" Kenji asked pushing up his glasses.

"Whatever, I have to go see Momo Senpai anyway and ask him where I can buy a decent bike; besides I haven't seen Kikamaru Senpai and Oishi Senpai play in ages." Echizen said and they began walking to the high school. "You guys wanna get a match too? All the matches I played today were boring."

"You know it couldn't kill you to train your right hand too y'know?" Akio said.

"Why though, I wanted to observe the new players trying out."

"Akio's right Echizen, if you used your right hand, it would be more of a challenge for you."

"But I don't need my right hand as I can use the neo-twist now! Forget it, we're here." And they were. The trio trekked up to the courts in which Momo was having a rally with Kikamaru and Oishi was rallying with Fuji, while Inui took data. "Hey Senpai-tachi, how 'bout a match eh?"

"Sure! Hey you guys wanna have a tournament? Us high school kids vs. you chibis?" Momo asked challenging Echizen. 

"Of course Momo-Senpai, we'll destroy you. Where's Kaidoh- senpai?." Ryoma asked scanning for Kaidoh.

"Yeah, Kaidoh didn't come today for some reason." Fuji responded still keeping Oishi at bay. "Anyway, lets have a drawing. Rules are as follows;

1. Each of us picks one of your names out of a hat We all play once while one of you guys plays once the other two twice.

2. Winner of three of five matches treats the other side to lunch.

Agreed?" They all agreed, Ryoma and Momo's stomachs grumbling. "I'll go first." Fuji reached into a bag and pulled out the first name. "Ah, Akio we haven't played since last year." Akio groaned. The last time he played Fuji, he lost 6-1.

Both players took their posts and the battle began. Fuji began attacking with a disappearing serve, which was almost returned, but went out slightly. Akio returned the next one with apparent ease, but Fuji charged into the net and volleyed his return with incredible force. "The ninth counter: Dragon's Claw." The counter was used to volley any return with slice on it, but could only be used when the opponent was at the baseline and the attacker at the net. Fuji had evolved to a much higher level in the post Seigaku years.

The match continued for some time until Fuji finally ended it with a final Kirin Otoshi. The two shook hands and left the courts. Inui was next.

"According to my Data, if I move my hand to this side of the bag, my opponent should not be Echizen…" He pulled out a slip of paper with the name 'Echizen' on it. Ryoma smirked

"Ready Inui Senpai?"

"Yes, I have very little data on your evolutions Ryoma and would love to get some more. Attack me with everything you've got." Inui requested and Echizen happily obliged. He started off with four Neo-twist serves and took the first game. Inui took his position and sent a waterfall at Echizen, knocking him back a few steps. He pulled back to send another waterfall at Echizen only to have the captain return it with double the original force.

"15 ALL!" The referee (Fuji) called as Inui watched stunned. He decided to try again. The waterfall was returned with more than the force of ever the Gyro Laser! "15-30!" The same result ensued with the next two as well. Inui was at a loss for words.

"Don't fret Inui- Senpai, because as long as our Buchou has his left arm, he's untouchable."

"You've grown a lot Echizen." Fuji murmured to himself. Another opponent he would have to try harder to defeat.

Echizen smirked evilly. "The worst is yet to come Inui Senpai!" He said before he began to glow with the aura of Muga. The match was over in fifteen minutes with the final score…

"GAME, SET ECHIZEN SIX GAMES TO LOVE!" Fuji announced to the tired Inui. Echizen walked over to him

"Nice game eh, Senpai?" He asked innocently and walked off the court.

Oishi looked contemplative as he drew out the final name in the bag, Kenji.

Both players took their positions and stared each other down as it was their first meeting. Oishi drew back to serve and started the match. "Fifth Ace" Kenji accurately placed the shot exactly where Oishi was running to. The next few shots were hit directly to Oishi.

"Don't go easy on me Ono, or you'll regret it" Oishi warned, returning each shot.

With a secretive smile Kenji replied "I'm not" and with that he hit a shot perfectly off the corner of the court.

"LOVE-15" Fuji called as Oishi smiled.

"Now that's more like it" He said returning to his place.

**Thirty Minutes Later…**

"GAME, SET ONO, SEVEN GAMES TO SIX!" Both players looked tired as hell.

"That was a good match." Oishi said extending his hand. "You totally beat me."

"No, if it was doubles, your last three shots would've been in and I would have lost." Kenji offered and accepted Oishi's hand.

The next game ended up being Kikamaru against Echizen, and we all know the end of that match…


	3. Training starts: The return of

Chapter 3: Training with the team

Chapter 3: Training with the team

The next day, Ryoma came to practice a bit late and with a big box in his hands. "Alright all the regulars line up here, the rest are dismissed." He said waiting for the club members to clear out. "The DT is in less than two weeks, so we need to prepare. In this box I have angle weights and power wrists. Each of you must take one of each and put 10kg worth of bars in each one." Everyone groaned. Echizen smirked; ever since last year, he had kept on 20 kg ankle weights on his angles no matter what, and 30 kg power wrists. They were almost a part of his skin now.

After everyone had updated their weights (Echizen added 20kg to each ankle and 30kg to each wrist) he pulled out an entire cooler. "Drinks are allowed only from this container. No one is allowed anything else during intense practices." The cooler was full of bottles of Inui's newest juice, called the Ultimate mix. It was a mix of the Aozu, the Cola (the one with Turtle blood) and the sardine drink. Echizen had taken a sip of it to test it out and he had promptly fainted and nearly thrown up.

"Buchou, what's that giant bin for near the cooler?" Yoshida asked.

"You'll find out in time." And Kenji and Akio paled.

"Trust me; you guys will be better off going thirsty since the Buchou has that evil face on." Akio whispered. Last year's regulars had gone without Inui's juice, thanks to Kaidoh and Momo's hatred of the juice (last year both of them were co-captains), but they knew Echizen's evil face.

"All right, if you guys are done, I have a drill for you guys. Here I have a few cones of different colors, along with balls lined with different colors. You will be served a ball and must return the ball to its color cone." No one saw this as extremely difficult so they accepted it. "There's a slight catch- you have to hit a cord ball and make it to the cone. Once you miss or hit the wrong cone, you have to run ten laps." He said and everyone deflated. "GO!"

Everyone began hitting balls and soon many regulars were running. Ryoma had conveniently placed the cooler at the beginning of the track, causing everyone to be drawn to it after a run. One freshman walked over to the cooler after picking up some balls.

"If I take a quick drink now, then maybe no one will notice it!" He thought. He pushed the button and some black liquid came out of it into his cup. It had a quaint smell and blue smoke coming out of it. The freshman however drank it without even a glance. The next thing everyone heard was a high pitched scream and a thud as the freshman hit the ground gasping for breath. The regulars became more determined to avoid anything Echizen ever offered them to drink again.


	4. Proceed without Hesitation

Chapter 4: The Prefecture tournament

Chapter 4: The District tournament begins

Echizen woke up with a great feeling in his heart. It was finally time for the PT and the team was ready. On top of the condition of his new team, he had gotten a brand new bike (a blue mountain bike) which he was going to ride to the tournament today.

He glanced at his clock and swore under his breath. He had sat awake in bed for twenty minutes. If he didn't get dressed and at the stadium in twelve minutes, he wouldn't make it. He had three minutes to get out of the house and he sprang into action.

Echizen grabbed his bike determined to make the tournament. After all if the captain didn't show up, what kind of example would he be setting for the lower classes? He began to pedal faster with new fervor. Six minutes. He would never make it if he didn't speed up. He put on a huge burst of speed, scaring a dog to the side of the road.

"Damn it!" He yelled as the walkways became more crowded. "GET out of the WAY!" He yelled to no one in particular. It was all good. He was going to make it well on time. Just as he let his guard down, a tragic event occurred. It seemed to be happening in slow motion for Echizen.

A lady with a stroller had come into his path, and the only way he could avoid her was by swerving to the side. Out of instinct, he swerved, but failed to notice the stairs in the side of the road. He flew over the first step and fell onto the second, bouncing his way down, trying not to hit his face on the pavement. He ended up with his leg stuck inside his chain and his wrists under the bike. It would have been comical if it didn't hurt so much.

"Hey boy, are you okay?" A kindly looking man asked.

"Fine; shit, I'm late for the tournament again!" He said grabbing his bike and peddling off with an intense speed. There was a slight twinge in his wrist, but he assured himself it was probably a small cut on the wrist. After three minutes, he reached the PT with three seconds to spare.

"Finally you're here! We thought you had forgotten your role as captain Echizen." Ryuzaki sensei said eyeing him with disapproval. "Anyway, now we can submit ourselves to the roster." She said waving a paper in his face.

He nodded and turned to his team. "Alright, we have no business losing here! We are a national level team and we will make it to the nationals this year. This is only our first step towards victory!"

"Hai!" The entire Seigaku team chorused.

"Those who are playing, play without carelessness. Those on the sidelines, cheer your team onward." He commanded in his best Tezuka imitation. "Alright! Let us proceed to victory!"

**A/N: Okay, I suggest to anyone to re-read the chapters as I have made some changes to them. Sorry it took me like a year to update, but life came up. **

**Also, don't forget to review and all that, reviews faster updates. **

**About the pairing, do you guys want one?? I had one in mind, but I was wondering whether or not to use it. Tell me your opinion on that. **

**Anyway, thanks for reading!! REVIEW!!**


	5. 1 win, 1 loss

Chapter 5: The first match

Chapter 5: The first match

"Alright, the line up is as follows" Echizen began pulling out a piece of paper from his left pocket. Pain shot up and down his wrist, but his face betrayed nothing. "Doubles two will be…" The pain was becoming unbearable. He would not be able to play tennis as well with this arm. He needed to think of something fast. "Me and Akio" he said shocking the entire team. "Doubles one will be Yoshida and Hara" he continued. "Singles three will be Ito, singles two will be Kondo and singles one will be Ito" he finished, barely containing a grimace. He knew it wasn't smart to play, but he would see to his wrist after the tournament. "Alright, everyone good luck, and play your best" he said dismissing them to hang around till the first match. All of them dispersed save Akio.

"Hey Echizen, why are you and I in doubles two?" he asked. There was no way Echizen would play doubles after that time with Momoshiro.

"Well, think of it as training. I can train my right hand and more over, you can learn more things by playing a two on one match" Echizen said nonchalantly.

"A two on one…." He trailed off as what Echizen said sunk in. "You mean you won't even help me?" He asked in disbelief. "That's crazy!" he shouted at Echizen, who was walking away to get a ponta.

"Che, just try it. After all, who's the captain?" he asked with an arrogant smirk. Akio groaned and went off to warm up on the wall. This was going to be a long tournament for him. As soon as he was gone, Echizen bought a ponta from the machine and sat down, pressing the cool can to his wrists. The right one wasn't so bad, but the left one was probably broken. "AH!" Echizen squealed as he touched his wrist by mistake. "Definitely broken" he mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, breaking him out of his reverie. "Hey Echizen-kun!" came a male voice. "Long time no see!"

Echizen turned to face the source of the voice only to find "Lucky" Sengoku approaching him. "Hey" he replied nonchalantly.

"It's great to see you after a whole year" Sengoku continued. Wish I had my tennis racket. I would've loved a match with you" he said thoughtfully.

"Why are you here anyway? Didn't you graduate two years ago" Echizen asked, pretending to sip his unopened drink.

Sengoku put a hand behind his head and grinned sheepishly. "Well you know, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by to see a good game of tennis" he said blushing slightly. His eyes began to follow a middle school girl in a very short skirt.

"So you came to perv" Echizen translated. Again Sengoku grinned.

"Well I'm actually here to scout for my high school and see if any seniors are worth giving an invitation to" He defended, although both players knew he was using that as a cover up. Sengoku had chosen the high road and gone to a athletic school. According to him, it was easier in studies and harder on tennis, so it was better both ways. "So when is your math Echizen-kun?" he asked excitedly.

"_Attention All Players! The Seigaku vs. Gyokurin match will being in five minutes. All players please report to the match" _

"That answer your question?" Echizen asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Ja!" he called to the senpai as he walked to the court where his match would take place.

"Hey wait up! I'm going to watch your match too!" Sengoku called running to catch up. "I can't wait to see how good you became. After you beat Akutsuki, I've always wanted to play you, and that was two years ago" Sengoku said excitedly. "Wonder what you can do now. You must get dozens of confessions!" he continued rambling. "Oooh, are there any cute girls in your school?" he asked. "Ne, Introduce me please?" He begged Echizen.

'Damn, he can talk a LOT' Echizen thought. Finally the arrived at the court. Echizen walked over to greet the rest of his team and give them one final pep talk.

"Alright, we can't lose here. Stay on guard and attack with everything. This is just the beginning. We are the number one seed here, and I want to keep it that way!" he said with conviction. "SEIGAKU!" he yelled.

"Fight-o, Fight-o, Fight-o!" The other seven members yelled. The referee took his seat and the first set of player walked onto the court.

"Doubles two, One set match, Echizen to serve" he said and began the match. Echizen put his racket in his right hand, threw the ball up and for the first time in two years, he hit a twist serve.

"Game, set, Match, Echizen Soto pair. Six games to two!" The referee announced.

"Pair, that's rich. I did all the work" Akio grumbled.

"This is all for practice. Think of it as punishment for coming late to practice the last three times" Echizen replied walking off the court.

The rest of the five sets went the same way basically, and Seigaku won their first match 5 sets to 0.

"Hey you lot, it's too early to celebrate!" Coach Ryuzaki yelled to the seven who were celebrating their victory. "Tomorrow's match is the final. Rest up for that and come back here with a burning passion!" She instructed, probably remembering Kamwura and his burning attitude.

Echizen nodded his approval, wondering when the group would be dismissed. He listened to the endless stream of words coming from the coach's mouth. Pain spiraled through his wrists, both of them now hurting. During the singles two match, his left wrist had even started to bleed, but luckily, he had a spare wristband to hide the blood.

"Alright, Dismissed" Ryuzaki said with authority. Echizen sighed in relief and made his way towards the exit.

"Hey Echizen!" he heard from behind him.

"Not now" he mumbled under his breath.

"Hey Echizen, I heard Seigaku was better this year" A boy said condescendingly. "Apparently I was wrong" he sneered.

"We can still wipe your sorry asses on the court" Echizen responded coldly. "What do you want Sasaki?" he asked. The pain was becoming unbearable.

Sasaki was a snobbish tennis player who Echizen had beaten by a wide margin last year. His team had still somehow made it to the Kantou tournament where Echizen had thrashed the boy again. For some reason Sasaki considered himself to be Echizen's greatest rival/enemy.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to kill you in tomorrow's match" he sneered. "If you guys are lucky, I might show mercy"

"Shut up" Echizen said nonchalantly. "Whatever you have to say, say it on the courts tomorrow" he said and walked away from the scene. Finally out of everyone's sight, he grimaced in pain before hailing a cab to the hospital.

"Where did you get such a horrific injury?" The doctor asked in surprise.

"I fell down a few stairs on my bike" Echizen responded dryly. "Stupid woman and her damned baby cut me off" he mumbled.

"Well regardless, your x-ray came back and it looks like you might want to stay off the tennis court for a while" The doctor told him with a frown. "You played a match after the injury didn't you?"

"I only served with my right hand" Echizen said in his defense.

"Still, your wrists were badly hurt. Your left wrist is completely shattered. You shouldn't use it for another month at least. Don't even think about picking up a pencil with it. I'll cast it later. Your right wrist is simply badly bruised. Stay off the courts for at least a week" he said, writing something down on a pad and handing it to Echizen. "This is a good pain medication. Go buy some from the drug store and use it daily each morning. Now go, and remember to stay off the courts for a week at least"

"That's not possible!" Echizen protested immediately. "I have to play in the upcoming tournament!" he exclaimed. The doctor sighed.

"I'm sorry, there isn't anything I can do" He said sternly. "Take my advice. Stay off the court for a good two weeks"

"But-" Echizen began

"No 'buts' Ryoma. You either listen to me or you don't" He cut off.

"Fine" Echizen said angrily. "What else?" he asked ready for the worst.

"I'll bandage your left hand for a good three weeks. There won't be much you can do with it. I suggest you don't move it. Don't strain you arm for another five weeks minimum. Your right arm will be fine in these two weeks, but if you use your left arm in this condition, you may never be able to fix your left wrist again" The doctor warned. "You can go now"

"Thanks" Echizen responded dryly.


	6. What's up doc?

Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Echizen walked into school on the following Monday, his left forearm wrapped in a bandage, only to be greeted by stares and whispers.

"Ryoma-Kun" Sakuno called. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was afraid to.

"Do you have something to say?" Echizen asked in his usual tone.

"W-well, I… there have been r-rumors" She began. "Not that I believe them or anything" she said quickly, realizing what it had sounded like.

"Ryuzaki, I'm late for class" he said in an annoyed tone.

"Peoplehavebeensayingthatyougotintoafightwithsomeoneandtheyhurtyourleftarm" She finally got out, speaking extremely fast. Echizen stared at her, causing her to look down in embarrassment.

"So?" he asked before making his way to his English class. He had much more important things to do than listen to rumors. In the class, his teacher ever so subtly reminded him of the importance of being early.

"Since you are late Echizen, why don't you put up the homework assignment?" the teacher said hoping to catch Echizen off guard for once.

"Hai Sensei" Echizen said in a bored voice. In minutes the assignment was on the board.

"Nice Echizen!" Akio sniggered. "Sensei's been looking to get you for three years!" he needlessly reminded Echizen. "Say, what happened to your arm?" he asked pointing at the captain's left arm. Instead of waiting for Echizen to answer him, he continued to speculate. "I heard that you got in the middle of a gang fight and beat up the entire gang with your tennis racket!" he said grandly. "But that can't be true" he said allowing Echizen to breathe easy. Maybe his teammate wasn't a total idiot after all. "Because you would never use your tennis racket to hit people" he contemplated. Echizen sighed.

"Nothing happened. I cut myself while chopping vegetables" he said, clearly annoyed at his friend's lack of intelligence.

"Oh, but that's _boring!_" Akio exclaimed stretching out the word. "So can you practice?" he asked

"No, I have to go to the hospital. For the next two weeks, you and Kenji can run practice" he said monotonously.

"YAY! After two years of paying my dues, I finally get to be captain!" Akio exclaimed a little to loudly.

"Soto-kun, since you don't feel the need to pay attention in class, why don't you pick up from where Horio-kun left off?" the teacher instructed and Akio gulped.

"H-hai Sensei" he said before attempting to figure out what page they were on.

Throughout the rest of the day, almost everyone pestered Echizen about what really happened to his arm. He addressed each of them the same way- with a glare that said 'Shut the fuck up or die' and walked away from them, his hat pulled over his eyes.

After handing his suspension letter to Ryuzaki sensei, he made his way home, flicking his right wrist back and forth so that it would not be stiff for the rest of the day.

The next few days dragged on as Echizen attempted to adjust to life without tennis. He barely had anything to do! Without his left hand, he couldn't write very well, type or even play any tennis video games. With nothing better to do, on the third day he began to clean out his closet.

"Che, why do I still have this junk?" he mumbled to himself as he brought out useless things that he owned in his childhood. A box to his left was the last thing in the closet. It had a thick layer of dust on it which seemed to have accumulated for a good two years. "Dammit this thing is heavy" Echizen complained as he dragged it out to look through.

As he opened the flaps, he remembered where the box came from. It was from his first year as a Seigaku regular. The old Seigaku regulars had gifted him a box set of every match from the prefecture tournament to the nationals for that year so that he not forget their times together. Blowing the dust off the tapes, he pushed one into his VCR and pressed the play button. Let the games begin…

For the rest of the evening, he watched those films, hoping perhaps to use them to perfect his new style.

**Meanwhile at the courts:**

"Hey retards!" Akio called. "Let's get some practice in!" he called to the regulars.

"Hey we're not retards you dumbass!" Kenji called back.

"I'm not a dumbass you illiterate bastard!" Akio called back.

"I'm not an illiterate bastard you fucking cocksucker!"

"I'm not a fucking cocksucker you whore!"

"I'm not a whore you fucker!"

"I'm not a fucker you homo!" Akio called back. The battle was becoming heated, yet no one wanted it to stop.

"I'm not a homo you imbecile!" Kenji called.

"I'm not an imbecile you pervert!"

"I'm not a pervert you fuckstain!"

"I'm not a fuckstain you bitch"

"I'm not a bitch you asshole!"

"I'm not an asshole you jerk"

"I'm not a jerk you jackass!"

"I'm not a jackass you whore!" Akio yelled.

"You used whore already" Kenji reminded Akio.

"Oh, did I? Well I'm not a jackass you… slut!"

As anyone can plainly see, things were not running as smoothly without the Buchou there to lay down the law.

**A/N: So how was it? Thoughts? Please everyone review!! I need reviews and for gods sake all I got is twelve. People be more generous with those. A moment of your time means the world to me! **

**Echizen will be returning to the tennis scene as soon as the district tournament begins which will be in 1-3 chapters. Haven't gotten to figuring that out yet… **

**Anyway tell me what you think, what you want to see etc. …….. Again, it means the world to me and all it takes is a second. So… R E V I E W ! ! !**


	7. Enter Echizen

**A/N: Since I haven't watched/read the prince of tennis in about a year, I forgot all the tournaments and how many they had. As a result of that and my laziness, I have decided to make my own tournaments. The list will go as follows:**

**The one they already had**

**The 1****st**** Regional**

**The 2****nd**** Regional**

**The 3****rd**** Regional (I'm so creative aren't I?)**

**The Kanto**

**The Nationals**

**So the tournament that will be referred to in this tournament is the first regional and it will consist of 16 teams out of which the top 2 will proceed to the 2****nd**** regional. **

Chapter 6: The pursuit of happiness

It had been about a week or so since he had seen the doctor and Echizen had stayed true to his word and hadn't even touched a tennis racket. He had practiced great restraint and was determined to make it the full two weeks.

The time of year however had not made it easy for him. Even today he was on his way to a tournament and he could do nothing more than stand on the sidelines and cheer despite his role as captain. It wasn't as though he didn't want to play-in fact he could barely restrain himself from playing most of the time. He had stopped going to practices to avoid the temptation and a few days ago, his father forced him to wear hard casts on his left and right wrists to prevent him from giving in to his temptation.

Echizen sighed as he turned into the site where the tournament was to be held. In the distance, he could see a gaggle of Seigaku uniforms standing around the registration desk.

"Hey Akio!" He called, seeing his friend in the distance. "What's going on?"

" Kondo got into a street brawl!" he called back putting his palm over his face. "He's being held at a precinct a few miles from here," he explained. "We need a seventh member to register officially."

Echizen shrugged. "Register me," he said without a moment's thought. The notion shocked Akio.

"You?" he asked incredulously. "Didn't the doctor tell you to stay off the court for a while?"

"So?" Echizen asked throwing a jersey on.

"So don't you want to think about this first?" Akio asked.

"What's to think about? If we don't register in the next five minutes, we are disqualified and our season ends here." With that, Echizen walked up to the registration desk and submitted the registration form for Seigaku. We need Hh

"Ryuzaki Sensei, how can he do that without even a moment's hesitation?" Akio asked the quiet Coach.

"He's as stubborn as those who came before him. He will proceed without hesitating – that is the way he was taught," She said, a hint of nostalgia and pride in her words. "Besides, I have no intention of letting him play. If I put him in singles one and we can win the first three bouts, he won't actually get to play.

"That's not a bad idea," Akio mused. "We'll work hard to make sure he doesn't have to play," Akio promised with confidence and determination emanating from his eyes.

----

After checking the bracket Echizen and Kenji wandered off to take a look at some of the new team lineups

"Hey look at this, it's the mighty Echizen," a boy said, with a cruel smirk across his face.

"Hello Hisashi," Echizen muttered. "I see they still haven't kicked you off the team."

"Actually I made co-captain this year," Hisashi answered, his smirk never faltering.

"Shame to see how low your school has sunk then," Echizen retaliated. Hisashi's face contorted and he turned a deep scarlet.

"Shut up!" He screamed with anger. Just then another boy with dark blue hair walked up behind Hisashi with a smirk on his face and the same color jersey.

"Relax Hisashi, or have you forgotten? Echizen here can't play anymore; doctor's orders, right?" the boy said looking at Echizen's wrists, covered with the casts he had applied.

"My team doesn't need me to beat you, Sho" Echizen retorted, sporting his own smirk.

"Such a shame," Sho muttered. "I was looking forward to destroying you in our match. Our last one went into a tiebreak didn't it?"

"Yeah, I bet he just put those casts on as an excuse not to play today," Hisashi added grinning. Echizen's eyes grew cold.

"Not that it makes a difference," Sho added. "With Seigaku, we can always target those idiot new members who never know what the hell they're doing," he said with a laugh. Echizen clenched his fist.

"Yeah and what about that joker Akio?" Hisashi added. "Last time we played, I nearly broke his ankle! This time, I'll make sure to break his leg!"

"You Bastards!" Kenji screamed with murder in his eyes. Echizen however held him back. With one swift movement, Echizen thrust his right hand against a concrete wall, effectively breaking the cast with a ear shattering blow.

"You won't even take a single point against us," Echizen promised. "And if you touch any of my team, I'll destroy you," he added before turning to leave, the force of his words hanging in the air.

**A/N: Wow its been a while. I seem to have become a bit rusty. I'll get over it soon though, anyway enjoy**


End file.
